rumors.— [flynn/peter]

[Deleted]

P E T E R   W E B S T E R - V Ă D U V A

I decided not to bring it up on the train, too much of a chance of someone else overhearing us.

While I trusted Teddy, the idea of him hearing us talk about this weirded me out. He was like a second dad to me, the less he knew or heard about my sexy life the better. And I barely knew Lucien. I knew who he was from like school, but we weren't necessarily friends. I think we had some mutual friends, but that was about it. Besides, chances are he heard about Fiorella's bullshit regardless. She gets stuff spread around fast.

I didn't bring it up to Flynn immediately. I wanted to approach all of this delicately, especially if the rumors hadn't gotten to him yet. I didn't know what would be worse - him having no idea what I was on about and having to explain more, or him knowing exactly what I meant. And I thought about her. Did she feel bad for condemning me? Or was she sitting at home in Six, spreading more shit about me since I wasn't even there to correct people?

Once I had an idea of what I wanted to say, I asked Flynn to meet me in my room. Again, the less people overhearing this the better. Once he arrived, I suddenly felt awkward. He probably assumed I just wanted to talk strategy or something. And here I was blindsiding him. Oh well, better than him finding out about the rumors from someone else or thinking that I helped spread them.

"I wanted to talk to you about some rumors that, Flynn... about us, that we- did shit before I got reaped. I just feel bad they're even a thing and I can promise you I had nothing to do with them spreading. I'm sorry that you trying to help me for Teddy devolved into that mess-" and this mess too.

God all of that sounded so much better - so much more coherent - in my head.  I guess I never got passed that social awkwardness from middle school, even if I can fake it sometimes. I couldn't even look directly at Flynn. And I felt my face heating up. Yeah I've obviously had sex, kind of hard to get someone pregnant otherwise. But this was different. For starters I had never fucked Flynn Garner, or ever even thought about doing so. And if I did, it wouldn't be for a scholarship. I'm not a user like that.

Maybe it was only a few second of silence, but waiting for a response felt like it took hours of my life. God, why did this have to feel so awkward? Why did Fiorella have to spread those rumors in the first place? Couldn't she just say I bribed Flynn? Something? Anything? Because now I had to deal with feeling embarrassed whenever I saw him. Though I hoped talking it out with him might fix it.

[ table by jay ]

[ 488 words ]

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

FLYNN GARNER
YEAR OF THE 90TH

With every year that I age up, so do the tributes. Lucien and Peter are more or less the same age as me, both of whom I share mutuals with through school. Though is it bad for me to think well at least they are not friends? Just Peter, the acquaintance I did a favour for. The attachment falls on Teddy this year. I have spent twelve months healing, patching up the wounds. They may all be held together with tape and band aids, but I cannot throw all that effort away. Not this year.

I am just glad nobody picked my sisters or the club in spite. I guess the rumours of me using my victor card to get into the college are not worthy enough to get someone close to me killed. But it is for Peter.

Yeah, the club have told me the rumours, it is not like people have whispered about me in that school hallway all my academic life. More so now I am victor. More loudly now that I have moved to the college. I get the intel from Dale, Jodie and everyone else though. Even my sisters question some of them. I mean worse has been said, people thought Aurora and I were dating? Even the Capitol thought that. The PR teams have taught me to ignore rumours, maybe embrace some if they have their advantages. Except sleeping with a guy who is now coincidentally a tribute just to get him into the college is not one to embrace. That needs washing away before it gets to the Capitol’s ears.

I knock on Peter’s door; he has requested that I speak to him which is a surprise as I am sure Teddy will be eager to oversee all of his strategy and training.

I step into the room and before I can take one breath, the slightly older tribute vomits words that take me a few seconds to analyse before responding. ”Yeah I have heard about those but I am not concerned. I just hope me helping you get the scholarship isn’t the reason you are here today so I just want to apologise if it is.” It is too late. I have accepted that. It is not my fault. I did not pick him. That girl did. It is not my fault. I need to learn to forget about it. To move onto something else.

Quest’s words really like to repeat themselves in my head. I guess that means they are doing their job.

”Now we need to forget about that because if the Capitol catches a single word, they will hound you about it. Even in the arena. We just need to work on getting you home in one piece, we can’t have that scholarship going to waste!”

[Deleted]

P E T E R   W E B S T E R - V Ă D U V A

Luckily Flynn didn't seem too disturbed by the rumors, which was a relief. I'd hate to think that helping me made his life harder. Besides, didn't he have to deal with his girlfriend dying last year?

The one negative is he seemed to want that rumor to go away. And as much as I wanted it to vanish too, I didn't think that was the best method as far as survival. The Capitol liked people they could summarise in just a few words. Teddy Ursa was a sweetheart. Nixie Summers was the underdog career. The Le Roux's always get extra attention when they're in the games and they're lions. If this helped make me stick, if it got me attention as a tribute, wasn't it worth it?

"That's why I wanted to talk to you. Wouldn't the best option be letting the rumors exist? The Capitol likes stuff like that. They like being able to have some sort of gimmick for tributes - for victors. Like when you won it seemed every other word on TV was "sharpshooter"."

Maybe I'd lose my scholarship or acceptance over it. Even if the college knew that's not why I got any of that, they could revoke it to avoid the scandal. But whatever. Going to college wasn't my top priority right now. Living was. Luca was. Maybe I wouldn't be able to be a science teacher, but I'd be alive. And that was a lot more important to me. But it was Flynn's life too. And he understood all of this PR stuff more than I did.

Either way, I was going to come up with some sort of angle for myself. Maybe I should have run this strategy by Teddy first, but he was dealing with enough right now. He was helping me with a couple things back home in case I did make it while also helping me with a lot of my training. And the emotional aspect of it. He hadn't shown me if it is hitting him hard emotionally, but I'm sure it is. That's why I needed to live, even if it fucked things up for a little bit.

"But, this rumor getting spread would effect you too. So if you don't think it'll keep me alive or if you don't want it to effect you, just tell me. But isn't any press, good press?"

What Flynn didn't know was I could make this angle even more juicy for the Capitol if I needed to. Let them know I'm expecting a child too. Yeah I might be a social pariah for a bit. My parents wouldn't be happy. But I'd be alive. That was the point in all of this, right? Keeping me alive. The people who won now weren't the strongest or the best - they were the ones that the Capitol liked. The ones the Capitol wanted to win.

[ table by jay ]

[ 477 words ]

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

FLYNN GARNER
YEAR OF THE 90TH

”No. No, that is not good press!” I say, shaking my head with my arms crossed tight. Now this is one hell of a complication to deal with. PR tells me to ignore the rumours but they need to stay as rumours, I am only sixteen and I’d rather not have my status tattered already. It is already on the edge after throwing wine at Star last year. They will spin it and use it forever. Then I will have a reputation with my tributes and well really, that is not another added stress that I want to deal with. Not after the twelve months I have spent licking my wounds after the last melt down.

Just one little favour for Teddy, one simple straight forward favour and somehow the world has spun it into a disaster. Now this guy’s life is on the line and while not as important, my reputation might just follow too.

”There are better ways to get good press. Good press will get you sponsorship and that is one way of survival. You are clever guy, maybe use that intelligence to your advantage? The whole career brute thing is becoming a little old fashioned for the Capitol tastes anyway, so I am told.” I am going to try and not get too invested in this patient. Avriel’s words about attachment. Quest’s therapies and the wise old wisdom of Teddy Ursa have taught me. Peter is a patient. I will lose some on the surgical table and I will save some.

That is life. That is how it is.

”Do you have any hidden talents that I should know about? Now will probably be the best time to tell me.”

[Deleted]

P E T E R   W E B S T E R - V Ă D U V A

This was all a confusing mess, and as much as Flynn was trying to help me navigate it - he was still a kid.

Fuck I'm just a kid too. We're all just kids trying to survive. Even now, I felt like Flynn was just trying his hardest to survive everything. He was so young when he won, I can't imagine growing up with all of this pressure on you. That would be like if Gabriel won. Honestly I pitied him, so I took the subject change when he presented it. Maybe those rumors would be best if they were left ignored. My parents would never even have to know about them.

I wasn't sure if the career brute trope going out of fashion was a good thing or bad thing honestly. I mean I sort of looked like a career I've been told. And I was planning to focus on spears and other strength-based weapons. But I was also looking into making traps. Maybe that would help a bit. And that's when Flynn brought up any hidden talents that I thought of something, "I'm guessing reality TV isn't really your thing but I was on Panems Got Talent for the first season - I even got to come out to the Capitol. See a little bit more than the Training Center. I do gymnastics... I also go free running sometimes if that helps any."

When Flynn was helping me with the college I didn't tell him about Sabrina and Luca, it just seemed like a bad idea to tell someone trying to help show my intelligence that I was stupid enough to not use a fucking condom. But now while we're talking about press, it's a better time than never. I was planning to eventually ask Teddy about how much or little I should say, but having multiple opinions couldn't hurt, "So Flynn going back to the PR stuff real quick... let's say there's this girl. And we went on a date, just like one date. And now let's say she's about five months pregnant and I happen to be the dad. Theoretically, would that be good press or something to hide?"

I couldn't come right out and say it, I was nervous. I had only told my family and Teddy at this point and even Teddy was hard to tell. At least he reacted better than my actual parents did. My mom screeched like a banshee the moment the word "pregnant" left my lips. She hadn't even met Sabrina because we went on one date! And then trying to explain to my younger siblings that I was excited to be a Dad but I was still stupid and they shouldn't do it was a whole different mess altogether.

The less I had to explain the better. But if telling people about Luca kept me alive long enough for him to actually be born, it was worth it.

[ table by jay ]

[ 484 words ]

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

FLYNN GARNER
YEAR OF THE 90TH

I am focusing on just one tribute again. I ignored Jack for Aurora and Willa for Robin. Now poor Lucien is fighting out of Peter’s shadow as Teddy has an interest in him too. Balancing compassion between two people every year is going to be another lesson to learn though it is hard knowing that one of them must be in a box for the other one to be coming home with a crown. Another life lesson of being a victor, this is where it is difficult to compare them to patients. One patient does not have to die for another to survive, unless they are of course the one who is donating the gift of life. A heart to keep another’s blood pumping. A liver to cleanse another’s body of toxins. District partners or District donors?

Peter rattles on about a talent show and his hidden gymnastic skills. ”We can work with the gymnastics, it is something different I guess.” A plan is being devised in my head, I have built connections now. A plan. A strategy. It is the only thing I can offer Peter. It is up to him if he wishes to follow it.

Now here comes another complication to crush us all. Peter is really all kinds of trouble, a list longer than my arm, one he has me tangled in and just a few days ago he was just an acquaintance. A friend of a friend that I did a favour for. Maybe handing full responsibility of him over to Teddy is the best I can do. Lucien sounds simpler.

”I guess you could use it?” I say, looking up at the ceiling and praying that Teddy walks through that door so that he can take over. ”It could get you the sympathy vote, some PR may help you. But don’t talk about those rumours! They need to stay as rumours. We need to be careful about publicity as the Capitol love to twist it. They will send the cameras straight to Six if we mention her name, do you want her to face them too?”

[Deleted]

P E T E R   W E B S T E R - V Ă D U V A

Flynn didn't seem to think the gymnastics were as cool as I had hoped. Yeah it sounds kind of lame, but it takes a lot of work! And it looks pretty cool in practice. It'll just be harder to do with a bag full of shit, a weapon or two, and some armor - but it's still doable. And it'll just be that much more impressive to sponsors who understand how much work goes into it all. I assume there's at least one sponsor out there who understands and appreciates gymnastics.

Flynn was confusing. He was nice, but confusing. I couldn't tell if he thought me bringing up my son in interviews was a good thing or a bad thing. Though I definitely agreed that bringing up Sabrina's name was a line I refused to cross. I wanted to protect her for as long as I could. Last time we spoke we agreed he'd have part of my last name, so after he's born I can't guarantee people won't realise who his dad is. But that'll be months from now. The Capitol would have moved on by then, hopefully.

The Capitol was always about whatever the newest fad was. Every year the Hunger Games is big for a bit, but the rest of the year it's about whatever reality TV show is the most juicy. Panem's Got Talent a few months ago, then Castle Game, and now Young Love in Panem. And by the time this ends there could be yet another show going on. I guess watching 24 kids murder each other every year isn't enough entertainment, they need more. Always more.

"Of course I won't mention Sabrina's name, she doesn't deserve that. She's probably stressed enough about everything without cameras harassing her. Teddy knows who she is, but I know he won't tell anyone. But mentioning Luca, the name we decided on for our son, is it worth it? It might help keep me alive, but I want to do what's best for him."

I wanted to live. Even if I had to kill for it. But Luca? That was the one sacrifice I wasn't willing to make. 23 lives would have to be taken for me to win, and more destroyed in the aftermath of the death and chaos. But Luca's life wasn't a bargaining chip I would play. I already knew though that no matter what happened he'd never have a normal life now. He'd either grow up without a dad or he'd have a famous dad. I felt guilty, and now I had to try to figure out how to fix what I could of his already broken life, "And I won't bring you up, Flynn. You're safe, alright?"

[ table by jay ]

[ 450 words ]